Press File PhotoNorthside Liquor and King's Cove Party Store co-owners Bob Byars, left, and Scott Screptock favor being able to sell beer and wine on Sundays.

OTTAWA COUNTY -- Organizers of a push to legalize Sunday wine and beer sales in the county are running short on time to qualify for the November ballot.

With only 11 days remaining until an Aug. 12 deadline for submitting a petition, organizers are making a big push to get 14,000 additional signatures they need to reach the ballot. About 24,000 signatures are gathered so far toward the 37,756 needed, said Jim Storey, spokesman for the Say Yes to Sunday campaign.

Organizers were out in force at last week's Ottawa County Fair, and this week at the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, where 1,000 new signatures were gathered, Storey said.

The next target is Tuesday's primary election. Organizers will have petitions available near many polling stations, Storey said.

"Whenever voters have the opportunity, people eagerly sign the petition," said Brett VanderKamp, president of New Holland Brewing Co. and member of the Say Yes to Sunday committee. "It is also clear the high signature threshold is frustrating that overwhelming desire to place the issue on the ballot."

Ottawa County is the only county in Michigan that bans the sale of beer and wine on Sundays, the result of a 1976 vote. Sales of spirits by the glass are allowed on Sundays under a separate 1981 county Board of Commissioners ruling.